Notable red spinels

Among the most famous titled
rubies, most are not rubies at all, but red spinels. Two important
examples are found in the United Kingdom: the Timur Ruby, and
the most famous of all, the Black Prince's Ruby. Despite
the fact that these are actually red spinels, their colorful tales
are worth telling.

Black
Prince's Ruby

Few
precious stones have such a long and storied history as this
large, semi-polished, crimson orb. The following is based largely
on Orpen (1890), Younghusband & Davenport (1919) and Sitwell
(1953).

Although
the gem was probably mined at Badakshan's famous balas
ruby mines along the Afghanistan border, the gem's first
documented appearance is in fourteenth-century Spain. At
that time, Spain was ruled by a number of petty kings, one
of whom was a Moorish prince, Mohammad, of Granada. Don Pedro
the Cruel ruled nearby Seville, and it was to him that Mohammed
fled after being deposed by his brother-in-law, Abu Said.
Don Pedro's army eventually brought Abu Said to heel.
When they arrived to negotiate, Abu Said and his attendants
were killed, and their jewels seized. The date was 1366.
Among the jewels was a large red spinel octahedron, the size
of an egg. It is today known as the Black Prince's
Ruby.

Don
Pedro soon found it his turn to flee, his adversary being
none other than his own brother, Henry. In 1366, he fled
to Bordeaux, where the Black Prince [14]
kept court. Don Pedro beseeched the Black Prince to help,
promising untold treasures in return. Henry was duly defeated
and the large red stone passed as payment to the Black Prince,
in 1367.

Figure 10.17a: Britain's
Imperial State Crown contains more famous gems than
virtually any other ornament in the world. These include
the Black Prince's Ruby (see Fig.
10.18)…

10.17b: …the
Stuart Sapphire…

10.17c: …and
St. Edward's Sapphire. (Photos: HMSO, London)

The
gem reappeared in the hands of the English king, Henry V,
at Agincourt, on Oct. 25, 1415. The gallant king, with his army
reduced to 15,000 men, was falling back upon Calais when at Agincourt
he encountered Duc d'Alençon, the French prince, and
his army of 50,000 men. The morning of the climactic battle Henry
appeared dressed in most splendid attire, with gilt armor. Upon
his helmet was a crown garnished with rubies, sapphires and pearls,
including the Black Prince's Ruby.

Henry's
helmet was more than mere decoration, for on that day he
was set upon by the French prince, Duc d'Alençon.
The Frenchman struck his helmet a mighty blow with his battle
axe, nearly killing Henry. Others also attacked him, even
managing to break away a portion of the crown. Miraculously,
though, both the stone and Henry survived. After the battle,
a French prisoner retrieved the broken fragment and brought
it back to England, an act for which he was duly reimprisoned.
The identical helmet worn by Henry at Avincourt is said to
reside in Westminster Abbey, shorn of its jewels. Two deep
gashes are readily visible, bearing mute testimony to the
gallantry of Henry V on that fateful day. [15]

From
here the precious gem passed through the hands of numerous
British kings, including Henry VIII and his daughter, Elizabeth
I, who kept it in her private collection. She did show it
to a Scottish envoy, Sir James Melville, however. One evening
the Queen took him into her bedchamber, where "she shewed
me a fair ruby, great like a racket-ball. I desired she would
either send it to my queen [Mary, Queen of Scots] or the
Earl of Leicester's picture. She replied 'If Queen
Mary would follow her counsels she would get them both in
time and all she had, but she would send a diamond as a token
by me.'" It was for the Black Prince's Ruby
that the envoy begged, but Mary was destined to get neither.

King
James I had the stone set in his state-crown, for the Earl
of Dorset describes the stone in an inventory of the crown
jewels. His description of the imperial crown concludes: "and
uppon the topp a very greate ballace [balas ruby, or
spinel] perced." We know this to be our stone for at
some point in time it had been drilled ('perced')
at the top with a small hole, so as to be worn suspended
from the neck, a common occurrence with oriental gems. Today
this hole is capped with a small ruby.

After
the coronation of Charles I, by a fortunate occurrence, the
great gem was not placed in the jewel house along with the
other royal treasures. If it had it would have been lost,
for when Cromwell took power and Charles I was executed,
all the treasures found there were either melted down or
sold by order of the Commonwealth. Among the priceless pieces
thus lost was the gold filigree crown of Edward the Confessor,
which was broken up and sold for its weight of bullion. Orpen
(1890) remarked… "Such vandalism is almost enough
to make one a Jacobite."

But
the Black Prince's Ruby was not among them. According
to the Parliamentary sales list of Charles I's Crown
Jewels, there is an entry recording the sale, for £4,
of a 'perced balas ruby wrapt in paper by itself,' which
several authors have identified as the Black Prince's
Ruby. Sitwell (1953) believes that this is incorrect, and
that the Black Prince's Ruby is more likely to have
been that identified as the Rock Ruby, which sold
for £15.

In
any event, in 1660 it was bought by an unknown party, who
resold it to Charles II after the restoration of the Stuarts
(Michael, 1983). During the reign of Charles II, the stone,
by now set in Charles II's State Crown, had another
narrow escape. It was nearly stolen by the notorious Colonel
Blood, who, unbelievably, was later pardoned by the King.

Once
again, in 1841, the crown was almost lost, this time by fire.
Only the quick actions of police inspector Pierse saved the
day. As the Tower burned, Pierse broke through the iron bars
with a crowbar to rescue these irreplaceable objects. Again,
during World War II, the royal regalia was once more in danger,
this time from Hitler's bombers. However, they survived
undamaged and today the giant Black Prince's Ruby can
be viewed in all its glory in the Tower of London, along
with the rest of the English Crown Jewels.

Figure 10.18 Perhaps
the world's most famous ruby, the Black Prince's
Ruby, is actually a large red spinel. Its history
is documented back to 1366 AD. Today it is mounted
on the front of England's Imperial State Crown,
which is located in the Tower of London. (Photo: HMSO,
London)

The
Black Prince's Ruby is now mounted in the front of the Imperial
State Crown, just above the famous Cullinan II Diamond. It
is a huge, semi-polished octahedron. [16]
Sitwell (1953) states that the stone is backed by a gold foil,
as were many ancient gems, to improve its brilliance. This has
not been removed for fear of damaging the gem. The stone measures
some two inches (5.08 cm) in length and is of proportionate width
(Younghusband, 1919). Its exact weight is unknown, but estimates
put it at ~170 ct. As earlier stated, it is drilled at one end
and a small ruby is set atop the opening.

According
to Younghusband (1919), "the question is often asked: 'What
is the value of this stone?' And the answer may safely
be given that it is priceless, for no amount of money can
buy it." It is indeed the most famous gemstone in
the world's most famous gem collection.

Timur
Ruby (Khiraj-i-alam, or 'Tribute to the World')

The Timur
Ruby is a large red spinel and rests today in the private
collection of the British monarch, mounted on a gold chain along
with three other "Indian rubies." It is a large, tabular,
semi-polished stone of 361 ct which carries Persian inscriptions
in Arabic script. Inscriptions give the names of previous owners,
as follows (Twining, 1960):

Ruler

Hirja year

Christian year (AD)

Reigned

Akbar Shah

1021

1612

1556–1605

Jehangir Shah

-

-

1605–1627

Sahib Qiran Sani (Shah Jahan)

1038

1628

1628–1658

Alamgir Shah

1070

1659

1658–1707

Badshah Ghazi Mahamad Farukh Siyar

1125

1713

1713–1718

Ahmed Shah Duri-i-Duran

1168

1754

1748–1772

The
Timur Ruby is said to have passed into Timur's hands when
he sacked Delhi in 1398. The great Tartar conqueror stayed in India
for little over a year, returning to Samarkand with all his booty.
Upon his death, the ruby went to his son, Mir Shah Rukh, and in
due time to his son and successor, Mirza Ulugli Beg. By this time
the Tartar empire was on the wane and during one of the wars between
the Tartars and Persians, the ruby came into the hands of Shah
Abbas I of Persia. Shah Abbas presented the ruby to his close friend,
Jahangir, the Mughal Emperor of India, in 1612. At that time, the
gem had the names of Timur's son and grandson, and Shah Abbas
himself, engraved upon it, but these inscriptions no longer exist.
It is unknown whether they were obliterated over the course of
time, or at the behest of Jahangir. In any event, after taking
possession of the ruby, Jahangir had his own name engraved upon
it, as well as that of his father, Akbar. When his favorite wife,
Nur Jahan, chided him for defacing such a magnificent gem, he replied: "This
jewel will more certainly hand down my name to posterity than any
written history. The House of Timur may fall, but as long as there
is a King, this jewel will be his."

Upon
Jahangir's death, the Timur Ruby passed to his son,
Shah Jahan (of Taj Mahal fame), who also had his name inscribed
on it, and placed it in the famed Peacock Throne. Shah Jahan's
son, Aurangzeb (Alamgir Shah), seized control of both the
throne and ruby, and added his own name to the inscriptions.
The last of the Delhi emperors to inscribe his name upon
the gem was Mahomed Farukh Siyar. His successor, Nadir Shah,
invaded India and sacked Delhi in 1739. The royal loot carried
away to Isfahan included both the Koh-i-Nur Diamond and the
Timur Ruby, as evidenced by the following inscription on
the Timur Ruby:

This (is) the ruby from among the
25,000 genuine jewels of the King of Kings, the Sultan Sahib Qiran
[Timur], which in the year 1153 [1740 AD] from the (collection
of) jewels of Hindustan reached this place [Isfahan].

The
jewel's last inscription is that of Ahmad Shah, commonly known
as Abdali or Durani, who at the time of Nadir Shah's assassination
in 1747 held an important command in his army. Upon hearing of
the murder, he attempted to seize the throne, but succeeded in
securing only a large amount of booty. This he took with him when
he marched south at the head of his Usbeg troops and founded the
kingdom of Afghanistan. On his death in 1772, his son, Timur Shah,
ascended the Kabul throne, and the ruby eventually passed to the
latter's youngest son, Shah Suja. When expelled by Dost Mahomed,
he took refuge in the Punjab, where Ranjit Singh, 'Lion of
the Punjab,' forced him to surrender both the Koh-i-Nur and
the Timur Ruby.

A
study in primitive life forms

What is the
difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector?
The taxidermist only takes your skin.

Mark Twain, Mark
Twain's Notebook, Chapter XXXIII

THERE
is a particular type of single-cell organism
which goes by the name of the government bureaucrat
[bureaucratius simplicius]. To scientists,
it is most easily characterized by its lack
of even elementary reasoning, along with a
strong desire to possess what is yours. They
bear a certain resemblance to other primitive
parasites, such as the politician and lawyer.
Indeed, they may be related.

What
with the rapid pace of
change today, it is easy
to conclude that such
vermin are a modern phenomenon.
But this is not the case,
as evidenced by the following
tale of a fifteenth-century
ruby trader who had occasion
to visit Sumatra shortly
after his companion had
died:

As soon as our merchandize
was landed this chief raised a quibble, asserting
that, as my companion was dead, all the said
merchandize came to him [the chief], and
that he would have it… He thereupon
ordered all my property to be seized, and
caused all my person to be searched. There
were found upon me rubies of the value of
three hundred ducats, which I had bought
[in Pegu]. These they took, and the chief
appropriated them to himself.

Journey
of Hieronimo di Santo Stefano, ca.
1496 (from Major, 1857)

While
extermination has proven impossible, businesspeople
have developed certain evasion techniques. One
was related to me by a European trader. He told
of having to swallow a parcel of particularly
valuable emeralds when forced to transit a land
where one variety, the customs agentus, was
known to be endemic. The ruse succeeded, but
this created an additional conundrum. Upon arriving
at his final destination, his customer was eager
to view the gems. Sadly, he had to be told that
there would be a delay, for the gems were still
being… er… cleared.

In
the end, Jahangir's prediction was born out. When the British
East India Company annexed the Punjab in 1849, they also
annexed the Koh-i-Nur Diamond and Timur Ruby. Both were later presented
to Queen Victoria. Despite the occasional protests from India,
it is in the British Monarch's hands that they remain (Times
of London, 1912; Twining, 1960).

Catherine
the Great's Ruby

This is the second-largest
red spinel of quality on record, at 414.30 ct (or 398.72 ct according
to the USSR Diamond Fund, 1972) and is housed in Russia's
Kremlin (see box, page 282 for
a full description).

A
case of mistaken identity

Red
spinel is not the only ruby look-alike found in Burma's
Mogok Stone Tract. Red tourmaline (rubellite) is also common.
This may be the origin of the famous red gem found in Russia's
Diamond Fund. The 255 ct "great ruby" was once
among the jewels in the imperial treasure in Prague, and
was removed by troops under H.C. von Königsmarck
in 1648, during the sack of that city in the Thirty Years
War. It was later sent to Sweden and, in 1777, presented
to Catherine II of Russia by Gustaf III. When examined
by A.E. Fersman during his inventory of the Czarist
treasure in 1925, he found it to be a pink tourmaline of
no particular value or merit. In appearance, it resembles
a bunch of grapes (Zenzén, 1930; Fersman, 1947; USSR
Diamond Fund, 1972).

Rubies,
spinels & sapphires in the Mughal treasury

No one collected gems like India's Mughals, who lorded over many parts
of that land from 1526–1707. A detailed analysis of their treasury
has been given by the great Mughal specialist, Abdul Aziz (1942), summarized
in Table 10.5.

Famous blue
sapphires

Smithsonian

Although
large rubies of quality are extremely rare, fine examples of
large sapphires are relatively less so. Over the centuries, Sri
Lanka has produced more giant sapphires of gem quality than any
other source. Several fine examples are found in the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington DC.

Logan
Sapphire. This is the largest sapphire in the Smithsonian
collection, a giant of 423 ct, set with 20 diamonds. The stone
has a rich blue color but unfortunately is faceted with a large
window. It was donated by Mrs. John A. Logan and is considered
to be one of the finest large sapphires in existence.

Star
of Artaban. Also in the Smithsonian collection
is the Star of Artaban, a blue six-rayed star sapphire
of 316 ct. It is said to be of Sri Lankan origin (Punchiappuhamy,
1984).

Star
of Asia. This, too, is in the Smithsonian collection.
An extraordinary 330 ct of the richest blue-violet color, it
is one of the finest star sapphires in existence.

Star
of Bombay. The Star of Bombay was bequeathed to
the Smithsonian by the famous silent movie actress, Mary Pickford.
It weighs 182 ct and is a beautiful blue-violet star (White,
1991).

American
Museum of Natural History

Star
of India. In New York, at the American Museum
of Natural History, is found a fine collection of Sri Lankan
sapphires, particularly stars. Largest of these is the Star
of India, weighing a massive 563.35 ct. This stone
is actually of Sri Lankan origin and shows a fine star, although
the color is a rather grayish blue. According to Sofianides & Harlow
(1990):

The huge 563-carat Star of India sapphire
is one of the [J.P.] Morgan gifts. Its name suggests a story – one
might speculate that, after being mined in Sri Lanka in the sixteenth
century, it circulated among the treasures of Indian potentates….
George F. Kunz [1913a] recorded only this enigmatic statement: "[It]
has a more or less indefinite historic record of some three centuries…." How
the gem came into Kunz's hands is unrecorded, but rumor has
it that a royal owner needed cash without publicity. An alternate,
but doubtful, story is that Kunz had the stone fashioned in New York
City in 1900 – so much for romance! No matter, the Star of India
is magnificent.

A.S.
Sofianides and G.E. Harlow, 1990

Midnight
Star. Another large star in this collection is
the Midnight Star, a deep violet Ceylon stone of 116.75 ct. (Sofianides & Harlow,
1990).

British
Crown Jewels

Stuart
Sapphire. The
early history of the Stuart Sapphire is somewhat obscure,
although it most probably belonged to Charles II, and
was certainly among the jewels which James II took with
him when he fled to France. From him it passed to his son,
Charles Edward, the Old Pretender, who gave it to his son
Henry Bentinck, later known as Cardinal York. As the Stuart
cause was then dead, he left the sapphire with other Stuart
relics to George III.

In
Queen Victoria's State Crown this sapphire occupied
a prominent position just below the Black Prince's Ruby.
It was later replaced by the Second Star of Africa (Cullinan
II) diamond, and today is set in a similar position on the
opposite side of the same crown.

The
Stuart Sapphire is more of historical than real value. Although
of a fine blue color, it contains one or two blemishes and
is drilled at one end, probably so that it could be worn
as a pendant, as was common in earlier times. It is oval
in shape, about one and a half inches in length by one inch
in width, and is set in a gold brooch (Younghusband & Davenport,
1919).

St.
Edward's Sapphire.St.
Edward's Sapphire is now set in the center of the
cross-patee on top of the same crown as the Stuart Sapphire.
It is a stone with a history stretching back farther perhaps
than even the Black Prince's Ruby. According to tradition,
the St. Edward's Sapphire was originally set in the coronation
ring of Edward the Confessor, who was crowned in 1042 AD.
Special powers were ascribed to this sapphire, including those
of curing cramps.

St.
Edward's Sapphire is today a rose-cut gem, but this
was probably not the original style, and it is thought that
recutting was performed during the reign of Charles II. It
is a stone not only of exceptional color and brilliance,
but also with a marvelous legend behind it. The legend states
that Edward the Confessor greatly admired St. John the Evangelist.
One morning he happened to meet a beggar near Westminster.
Having previously given away all his money, he presented
his ring to the beggar. Some time later two Englishmen on
pilgrimage to the holy land ran into a storm in Syria. Suddenly
the path ahead lit up and an old man approached, preceded
by two youths bearing candles. On hearing that the pilgrims
were English and that Edward was their King, the old man
guided them to an inn, where he found them food and lodging.
The next morning as they were leaving, he told them he was
John the Evangelist and gave them the ring to return to Edward.
Bidding them goodbye, John said that he would see Edward
in paradise in six months time. The pilgrims eventually returned
to England, where they gave the ring and message to Edward.
Edward recognized the ring, and thus began preparations for
his death. Dying six months later, he was buried at Westminster
with the ring on his finger. According to legend, the tomb
was later opened in the twelfth century and the ring given
to the reigning King (Sitwell, 1953).

Muséum
National D'Histoire Naturelle

Ruspoli's
Sapphire ('Wooden Spoon-Seller's Sapphire' or 'Great
Sapphire of Louis XIV'). E.W. Streeter,
in his book Precious Stones and Gems (1892), describes
a number of fine sapphires. One of these was in the collection
of the Musée au Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, and
weighed 133.06 ct. The same stone was also described by Sourindro
Mohun Tagore in his classic, Mani-Málá (1879,
1881), referring to it as the Wooden Spoon-Seller's
Sapphire, in reference to the poor man who is said to
have found it in Bengal, India. Streeter said it was without
flaw. This is undoubtedly the same stone that resides today
in Paris's Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle,
for it is of a distinctive lozenge shape and possesses only
six facets, appearing like a huge sapphire rhomb. It is indeed
nearly "without flaw," containing only one small
feather and crystal inclusion, and is possibly of Burmese
or Sri Lankan origin.

According
to the Museum's H-J. Schubnel (pers. comm., 16 Dec.–5
Jan., 1994–5), its true weight is 135.8 ct. In the
museum it is known as Ruspoli's Sapphire. During
the 17th century, a Roman prince named Ruspoli sold this sapphire
to a salesman, who, in turn, sold it to King Louis XIV sometime
before 1691. At that time it was the third most prominent gem
in the French Crown Jewels.

During
the French Revolution, the royal gems were confiscated
by the revolutionary government and then stolen by Cadet
Guyot. Only a few escaped, including the Ruspoli jewel,
probably saved by its peculiar form. In 1796, the revolutionary
government allowed the Museum to choose a few gems for
educational purposes. Daubenton, the Museum's director,
chose the Ruspoli Sapphire, cleverly labelling it as
a sapphire crystal. Obviously he was lying, but it was
for a noble cause. Today the Ruspoli Sapphire can be
viewed in the Muséum National D'Histoire
Naturelle (see Figure 10.20).
[17]

State Gem Corporation of Sri Lanka

Probably the finest large star sapphire
in existence is the 393-ct piece owned by the State Gem Corporation
of Sri Lanka. It is an incredibly rich blue color, much
finer than the Star of Asia, and also exhibits a beautiful
star. In 1981, this gem went on exhibition at the Festival
of Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Institute, Kensington, England,
guarded by a 4.5-foot (137 cm) cobra sentry (Daily Telegraph,
1981).

Other notable sapphires

Catherine
the Great's Sapphire. This
colossus weighs in at a massive 337 ct. Of unknown origin,
it was presented to Catherine II ('the Great')
of Russia [b. 1729; d. 1796] in the latter part of
the 18th century, by an unidentified admirer. The stone remained
part of the Romanoff jewels for more than a century and a half,
until sold by Nicholas II to finance a hospital train for the
Russian army during World War I. It finally ended up in the
US, where it was purchased by Harry Winston for an undisclosed
sum. Winston placed the gem in his "Court of Jewels" collection,
which toured the US from 1949 to 1953. It was later sold to
an unknown buyer (Anonymous, 1951b; Krashes, 1986).

Gem
of the Jungle. Next
to the velvet-blue sapphires of Kashmir, those from Mogok are
the finest. One fabulous 598-ct piece of Mogok rough was purchased
by the English dealer and lapidary, Albert Ramsay, in 1928.
This fine stone was found near Gwebin, by a miner named U Kyauk
Lon (U Hla Win, pers. comm., May 2, 1994). $13,000 was paid
for the rough, which came to be known as the Gem of the
Jungle. Nine different stones were cut from it, ranging
from 66.53 to 4.39 ct, and including stones of 20.11, 19.19,
13.15, 12.29, 11.39, 11.18, and 5.57 ct. All were personally
cut by Ramsay and were said to be of exceptional color. A marvelous
account of the purchase and cutting of this gem is given by
Ramsay & Sparkes (1934).

Parure
of Queen Marie Antoinette. This
is a seven-piece jewelry set containing approximately 29 sapphires,
of which 18 are stones of perhaps 20 ct or more. During the
French Revolution they vanished, but later reappeared, to be
bought by Napoleon, who gave it to his wife, the future Empress
Josephine. Upon her death, it went to her daughter, Queen Hortense,
who, after the fall of the Bonapartes, sold it to Louis- Philipe,
then Duke of Orleans. Since then it has been worn by wives
of the successive heads of the House of France, and now belongs
to the Count of Paris. Three separate dynasties that have ruled
France have owned it: the Bourbons, the Bonapartes, and the
Orleans. A fine illustration of the parure is given in Michael
(1983). Although most possess large windows due to overly shallow
pavilions, together they are magnificent.

World's
largest?

Among
the most difficult tasks facing the gemologist
is that of testing the world's largest. 'Tis
not a task for the meek; those called upon to
test the world's largest somesuch are rarely
showered with trust. All specimens are "priceless" and
all are "absolutely genuine," having
been either family heirlooms dating from Timur's
sacking of Delhi in 1398 AD, or recently unearthed
from someone's backyard or rice paddy. Thus
the owner often demands to watch the proceedings,
fearing that, if their back is turned for even
an instant, the vulpine tester will slide an
identical specimen out from under his cloak for
the switch.

During
the author's many
years practicing gemology,
people constantly turned
up with the "world's
largest" this or
that. I've been
privileged to examine
the "world's
largest ruby" (a
large chunk of battered
red glass), the "world's
largest imperial green
jade" (a large chunk
of translucent green
glass) and the "world's
largest sapphire" (a
large chunk of battered
blue glass). But perhaps
most impressive of all
was the "world's
largest pearl." So
large was this that a
fruit scale had to be
used to determine its
weight. Indeed, it was
a pearl of sorts, but,
to be frank, that may
be an abuse of the term.
It actually resembled
something extruded from
the rear of an enormous
oyster, perhaps shortly
after a meal of tainted
shellfish. No doubt this
extraordinary specimen
now rests, yoke-like,
between the pendulous
breasts of a society
maiden on the wrong side
of 40.

While
owners of such gems may
genuinely believe them
to be priceless, they
surface most often from
the bowels of unscrupulous
dealers' collections,
always with an inflated
appraisal claiming them
to be more valuable than
the British Crown Jewels.

This
was the case with the
infamous Life and
Pride of America Star
Sapphire, which featured
in many news reports
of 1985 and 1986 (Hughes,
1987b). In a story that
would warm the heart
of even the most jaded
observer, one Roy Whetstine
claimed to have bought
the 1905-ct stone for
$10 at the Tucson gem
show. But things turned
dour when a reporter
discovered that one L.A.
Ward of San Diego, who
appraised it at the whopping
price of $1200/ct, had
appraised another stone
of the exact same weight
several years before Whetstine
said he found it. Photographs
of the "gem" revealed
an opaque corundum lump
that would be put to
better use dressing grinding
wheels than windows at
Tiffany.

Another
fine sapphire necklace is pictured in Michael's book; it
is the 108-sapphire and diamond necklace of Queen Maria Christina
of Spain. Originally from Sicily, she was the wife of Ferdinand VII,
her mother's brother. After a terrible civil war, she fell
in love with a bodyguard. The scandal of their marriage forced
her to leave Spain. She had her portrait painted wearing this
beautiful necklace. The jewel was sold by Christie's in
1982 for $297,000 (Michael, 1983).

During the London Exhibition of 1862, two magnificent sapphires were on
display (Streeter, 1892). The larger, an oval of somewhat inky color and
free from defect, weighed about 252 ct, and was cut in 1840. Although
smaller at 165 ct, the second stone was of finer color. According
to Streeter, it was by far the finest sapphire of its time to appear in
Europe.

Streeter
also mentions a fine sapphire in the famous Hope Collection,
but no weight was given. It was noted because the gem
retained its beauty as well by candle as by daylight.
Another, in the Orleans Collection, was called in Madame
de Genlis' tale Le Saphir Merveilleux (Streeter,
1892). It was violet by candlelight, but blue by daylight.

S.M.
Tagore, in his classic work, Mani-Málá (1879),
describes several celebrated sapphires. One of these
was a fabulous stone of 951 ct, and was seen by
an English ambassador to the Court of Ava (Burma). Tagore
also mentions a curious custom among the Hindus of India.
They were said to have a prejudice against sapphires,
believing the blue gem to be the bringer of misfortune.

In consequence of this notion, some
of them would invariably keep a stone on trial for several days
before they would make final settlement with the sellers. Hence,
perhaps, the paucity in the numbers of Sapphires in their possession.

Famous fancy sapphires

Few fancy sapphires are described
in the literature although there exist many fine examples, particularly
from Sri Lanka. Australia, being an English-speaking country,
has several well-documented examples.

Anderson's
(Willows) Yellow. This was a 21-gram golden yellow
stone found on the Willows field in Queensland in 1949. It
produced a cut stone of 70 ct, later cut into several
smaller gems, the largest weighing 35.75 ct.

Golden
Willow (Golden Queen). In 1951, the Willows field
again turned up a large yellow. This was named the Golden
Willow, renamed the Golden Queen, and weighed 322 ct
in the rough. It produced a 91.35-ct cut stone. The Willows
field is noted for large yellow sapphires and a number of yellow-green
gems in the 50–100 ct range have been found there.

Queensland. Queensland
is famous for producing large black star sapphires. The best
known is the Queensland, a 1156-ct cabochon giant. Although
the inexperienced may believe such a stone to be extremely
valuable, this is not the case, for these huge stones are typically
heavily included. Their value is chiefly as curiosity items,
rather than as true gems.

Although
a number of large yellow sapphires have come from Australia,
this is not the only source. The author has had the pleasure
of examining one of the largest yellow sapphires from
Thailand. It was a large emerald cut stone of approximately
75 ct, and owned by a Thai dealer. The stone was
too shallow, possessing a rather large window, but in
all other ways was magnificent. It was of the preferred Mekong
Whisky yellow-orange color and without flaw.

In
the American Museum of Natural History is what many consider
to be the world's largest fine padparadscha. It
is an oval stone of 100 ct (Sofianides & Harlow,
1990).

Figure 10.21 Engraved
rubies of quality are extremely rare. The above is
from France, ca. 1700 AD. (Photo: British Museum)

Engraved & carved
rubies and sapphires

Due to its great hardness, only a few examples of carved/engraved
corundums have come down to us from ancient times. Engraved gems
were formerly of much greater importance than at present. Numerous
books devoted to these magnificent works of art have been written,
particularly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Undoubtedly
the most prolific of the authors on this subject was C.W. King.

Writing
in the late nineteenth century, King authored a number
of books on the glyptic arts. In his Natural History,
Ancient and Modern, of Precious Stones and Gems, and
of the Precious Metals (1865), he describes several
examples of both ruby and sapphire which have been engraved,
mostly in Roman times:

…the experienced Lessing (A.
Br. lxxix.), and later the Count de Clarac (Cat. des Artistes Gr.
et Rom.), altogether deny the existence of any really antique intagli
in these harder gems; …Nevertheless, a few works in Ruby of apparently
indisputable antiquity have been observed by me amongst the thousands
of other gems examined. First, on account of the quality – a
large oval slightly convex stone, of the true "pigeon's
blood" tint, and weighing apparently about 3 carats – is
one in the Devonshire Parure (No. 17 in the Bandeau), engraved
with a Venus Victrix – a but poor intaglio in the latest Roman
manner.

King
goes on to mention several other engravings done in spinel, but
the general impression is that truly ancient intagli done in
ruby were decidedly scarce.

Ancient
sapphire (hyacinthus) engravings were only slightly
less scarce. Like ruby, on account of the extreme hardness
the ancients mostly employed sapphire as a mere ornamental
stone for setting in their jewelry, drilled and semi-polished,
but otherwise unengraved and unshaped.

Amongst the Rutupine antiquities
preserved in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, a portion
of a necklace of small rough Sapphires drilled at each end and
linked together with gold wire, the exact ornament referred to
by the poet Naumachius.

Previous
to the Imperial [Roman] epoch, engravings in Sapphire are
of the rarest possible occurrence. A small Etruscan scarab,
however, on an inferior variety has recently come under my
notice, and also a magnificent head of jupiter inscribed
IIY, executed in the purest Greek style. This latter had
been discovered as ornamenting the pommel of a Turkish dagger,
the intaglio turned downwards, and the back of the stone
rudely facetted by the Oriental lapidary into whose hands
this precious monument had fallen, an additional proof of
its genuine antiquity. This stone was one inch in diameter.

C.W.
King, 1865

Superior
to this as a work of art, and belonging to the same school,
was the nearly full face of the Medusa's Head, described
by King as one of the chief glories of the famous Marlborough
Collection. The carving was said to have been enhanced by the
material's fine quality. Most famous, though, was the
Signet of Constantius II (then in the Rinuccini Collection),
on a perfect stone weighing fifty-three carats. The Emperor
is represented as spearing a monstrous wild boar, designated
thereon [the Greek characters xi-iota-phi-iota-alpha-omicron]
(from his sword-like tusks), before a reclining female figure
personifying "Cæsarea of Cappadocia," the scene
of the exploit. The inscription CONSTANTIVS AVG in the field
suggests that this costly stone had been engraved for the actual
signet of the imperial hunter. Also mentioned by King was a
fine sapphire engraving of Hebe feeding the Eagle. The stone,
heartshaped and of fine color, measured 1.5 x 1.25 in (3.81
x 3.175 cm), and apparently belonged to the time of Hadrian.

Modern
engraved sapphires were also described by King:

Of modern works, the finest ever
done is the portrait of Pope Paul III., ascribed, no doubt with
justice, to the famous Alessandro Cesati, in the Pulsky Collection.
It is a beautiful Sapphire 0.75 inch [1.9 cm] square, a truly
inestimable gem, both for its fine quality and the spirit and life
of the engraving, and was certainly the signet of the Pontiff himself.
Inferior to this in point of art was the bust of Henri IV. by Caldoré (with
his initials) on a large octagonal stone of pale colour, but possessing
great historical interest. A large number of pale Sapphires may
be seen in cabinets, engraved with heads of figures, usually but
poorly done, in the style of the Cinque-cento. The reason is explained
by De Laet (i. 7): – "The sort which is pale, or watery,
is painted on the back with indigo, so as to imitate the sky-blue
and superior kind, although this method is forbidden to jewellers
to employ unless there be something engraved upon the stone, in
order that its quality may distinguished.

Figure 10.23 This
12.6-kg sapphire giant from Burma is owned by Myanma
Gems Enterprise, the Rangoon government gem monopoly.
In order to see if something of gem quality might be
lurking within, MGE staff disemboweled it with drill
and saw. Alas, the interior was just as opaque as the
skin. (Photos: U Khin Mg Win/U Hla Win)

Rough corundum giants

Among the largest pieces of rough sapphire ever
reported was that found in approximately 1967, at Mogok,
Burma (Anonymous, 1967). It was bluish gray in color,
measured 27 inches (68.58 cm) across and weighed
a massive 63,000 ct (12.6 kg). The Myanma Gems
Enterprise., a state-owned concern is the owner of this
giant sapphire crystal. But even this is dwarfed by some
of the giant crystals unearthed in Sri Lanka. One doubly-terminated
specimen tipped the scales at 40.3 kg. Such large
crystals are generally not of gem quality. They are summarized
in Table 10.9.

Notes

14. The
Black Prince was Edward, Prince of Wales [1330–1376]. His
epithet "Black Prince" may reflect the terror he inspired
in the French, but it probably referred to the color of his armor. [ return to
text ]

15. As
well as the lack of properly sharpened battle axes among
the French at Avincourt. [ return to
text ]

16. Prior
to the end of the eighteenth century, eastern lapidaries
rarely faceted the precious stones on which they worked
(Meen & Tushingham, 1968) [ return to
text ]

17. Bank
(1973, p. 125) gives a slightly different version. He
puts the sapphire at 135.20 ct (or 132-1/16 ct). It was
supposedly acquired by the Rome's House of Rospoli
[sic?], and sold to a German Prince, who, in turn sold
it to the French jeweler, Perrer, for 170,000 francs.
Morel (1988) states that it was valued at 100,000 livres
during the inventory of 1791. [ return to
text ]

Please note: This section of Chapter 10 omits
the sidebar "Maharajahs: India's fantastic
fetish princes" not to keep the Information Superhighway
safe for children in the provinces but rather because
it may already be found in the web version of the India
section of Chapter 12, World
Sources.

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